This invention is concerned with a holder or caddy for the storage of spectacles, including both sunglasses and prescription spectacles, and similar items. More particularly, this invention is concerned with a caddy for prescription glasses or sunglasses which is relatively compact, which will store glasses safely, which is easily opened and closed, and which can be readily attached to a number of potential supporting items, such as a vehicle visor, a clothing belt, a baby stroller, a golf bag or golf cart, and a boat.
Many people find it necessary to use sunglasses, which may or may not incorporate prescription lenses, under bright sunlight conditions. Since light conditions are not always sufficiently bright as to require the use of sunglasses, the user needs a storage caddy wherein sunglasses can be safely carried. In addition, in a number of circumstances, the user also needs to be able to access the sunglasses without difficulty from the caddy, and also be able to replace them there with a similar lack of difficulty. It is also desirable that such a caddy be able to accept for storage a pair of prescription glasses, when these are removed by the wearer and replaced by sunglasses. This is particularly important to the driver or a vehicle, who needs to be able to access sunglasses with minimal distraction from the requirements of safe driving, and if necessary to be able to store prescription spectacles equally easily.
It is also desirable that, although the storage caddy should provide easy access to a pair of spectacles contained therein, when the caddy is opened, the spectacles (or other items) contained therein should not be able to fall out. For a vehicle driver, for example, this would pose a significant problem since it would complicate changing to or from sunglasses quickly and safely.
It is also desirable that a storage caddy should not be limited to use in only one environment: for example, a person may drive to v golf course or a boat dock, and wish to able to transfer the caddy readily from a car to a boat, a golf bag, or a golf cart, or even onto a clothing belt.
This invention seeks to provide a caddy which meets these requirements. The caddy of this invention includes a spring clip which can be readily attached to a number of objects, such as a vehicle visor, which are moderately thin, reasonably flat, and reasonably stiff. The caddy of this invention also includes parts fabricated from an elastomer which will grip safely more than one size or shape of spectacles, both sunglasses and prescription glasses. This is facilitated in the caddy of this invention in that it is the arms of the spectacles, not the delicate central bridge portion of the spectacles, which is gripped in the caddy. Furthermore, the caddy of this invention is so constructed that, when mounted according to the teachings of this invention, for example to a vehicle visor, a pair of glasses contained therein will not fail out and can be readily removed when the caddy is opened.
In its broadest embodiment thus invention seeks to provide a spectacles caddy for sunglasses, prescription glasses, and the like comprising in combination:
a two part caddy body, whose length is greater than its width, comprising a first caddy body member and a second caddy body member, each shaped as a shallow halt box with a base and upstanding sides;
cooperating recesses in the longer sides of the first and the second body members adapted to receive the arms of a pair of spectacles;
a hinge means joining the first and second body members together located substantially at the midpoint of a first shorter side each of the first and second members, and adapted to limit the maximum angle between the first and second body members when the caddy is open to about 45xc2x0;
a latch means adapted to hold the caddy closed located substantially at the midpoint a second shorter side of each of the first and second body members and including
a push button means attached to the first member adapted to open the latch means;
a first and a second deformable insert means within each of the shallow half boxes provided by the first and second members adapted to grip the arms of a pair of spectacles located in the recesses when the caddy is closed; and
a substantially U-shaped spring clip means having a first and a second leg, adapted to engage a relatively flat, relatively stiff, and relatively thin object by separating the second leg from the first leg, attached to the outside of the base of the first member along its length with the closed end of the U-shaped spring clip means adjacent the push button means.
Preferably, the caddy has curved sides, including two longer curved sides of substantially the same length, and two shorter curved sides of different lengths, and the latch and push button means are located at the midpoint of the shortest curved side.
Preferably, the first and the second deformable means are fabricated a single deformable means which is folded within the caddy, the fold being adjacent to the hinge means.
Preferably, the deformable means includes deformable channel members in which the closed face of the channel grips a pair of spectacles when the caddy is closed.
Preferably, the deformable means is fabricated from an elastomeric material.